Albus Dumbledore POV
It's an odd feeling. Having questions answered and finding myself with even more than when I started.
Oh, I wasn't unfamiliar with not knowing things. It's the concept that drove human innovation, to see the unknown and question it rather than simply accepting. I always relished questions and happily sought answers by my own hands. But at the moment, I was unsure of how to proceed because I usually found my answers after having the source of them sitting in front of me.
I expected….
Well, I'm not quite sure what I expected in hindsight.
Perhaps a more subtle game of wits. A polite conversation on the surface as we attempted to glean each other's motives and navigate a negotiation. It would not be the first time, nor would it be the last when it came to handling the more predominant members of the Wizarding community.
The Older Malfoy always preferred such methods when we engage in any kind of discussion even as mundane as his son's recent schooling.
But alas, I was thrown off initially by the forthcoming and forthright answers and questions I received.
The name Schweinorg was an enigma, one I wished to unravel and hoped to understand more in this encounter, but instead I entertained a concerned pair of parents who wanted to enroll their daughter into our school.
I admit, it's hard for me to correlate the rumors and facts surrounding the apparent grandson to the almost mythical figure of his grandfather.
Was he dangerous? My many years of life led me to answer yes to that question. An undeniable yes that made me cautious even at the mundane topics of our discussion.
Not just him either, his…..wife?
Odd, I don't believe I asked if they were married, nor did they clarify their relationship beyond the nature of lovers if the intimacy they displayed wasn't obvious.
The woman herself was also dangerous, even if it had a different flavor.
I had not spent much time in the East and my knowledge of their culture was minimal, but I'm surprised that such a person was unknown until now.
I would need to have correspondence with the Headmistress of Mahoutokoro and ask her opinion.
But despite this, despite all the concerns and hesitation I had, I…..found myself with significantly less worry than when I began.
There didn't appear to be any deception, no underlining scheme. Simply….two parents who wished the best for their daughter.
It was a lovely thought.
"Albus?"
"Yes, Minerva, did you say something?" My attention was snapped back into place.
"You were quiet and staring off for a few moments." She informed me.
"Ah, Apologies, it seems old age catches up with me in some unfortunate ways. My mind tends to wander these days." I hummed, collecting my thoughts. "What did you think of our guests, Minerva?"
They had merely departed a handful of minutes ago, so I wished to hear her fresh opinion.
My former student pursed her lips, looking unsure of herself. "I'm not sure."
"Yes, quite the conundrum." I stroked my beard with a small smile. "I find myself reminded of a certain child of the Black family when he first entered our school."
Minerva immediately scowled, even if there was a softness now present. "I hardly think that comparing them to Sirius Black is proper." She huffed indignantly. "Especially after what he did."
"Perhaps, but I remember the boy that caused mischief with his friends fondly despite what happened later on."
An unfortunate thing, truly. I thought that Sirius was well and truly on the side of light and he loved and cared for his friends.
I don't know where it went wrong, because that same boy who ran around these halls was not a Death Eater. Unfortunately, I was proven wrong as he admitted to it to the Aurors at the scene of the crime.
"Still, Albus…"
"Minerva." I looked at her the same way she did with her own students. One never forgets that I'm disappointed in you look that you cultivate while teaching. "Don't hold onto prejudices based on circumstantial rumors."
I couldn't wholeheartedly blame her however. She, along with many others, experienced two Dark Lords that started significant wars nearly back-to-back. Her generation were skeptical, understandably so, of anything that didn't fall in line with what they knew.
I was not one to propagate the Dark Arts and even dissuaded people from delving into them, but I was not too blinded to know that there was Dark and then there was Evil. I did not agree with the former, but I would fight against the latter with everything I had.
A nuance that many in our insular society seemed to forget.
The current divide in racial and pureblood ideology did nothing to help those assumptions either.
"He named his Rabbit Sir Wiggles." I added. The corners of her lips curled ever so slightly. "Truly the most nefarious Wizard to ever grace our halls, wouldn't you say?"
"Oh, stop patronizing me, Albus." She rolled her eyes with another huff. "Fine, I admit it. I was holding onto a cultivated image in my head, are you happy?" She said with some exhaustion in her tone. "Despite my misgivings." She said pointedly. "They did not appear to be the bad sort." She sniffed.
I'll take the wins where I can.
"And don't think I forgot that you accepted a bribe right in front of me!" She pointed her finger.
"You let me." I countered.
She stuttered to form some manner of rebuttal, but failed much to my continued amusement. "Albus, just because I accept that I was judging them inappropriately, that does not mean there are no concerns to be had."
"Yes, I agree. I only hope that this mysterious Vigilante can be brought to justice." I found myself smiling.
"Albus." She said in a warning tone.
"Come, Minerva, It's not so much of a problem that the Daily Prophet is making it out to be."
"He bludgeoned several innocent people with a brick!" She exclaimed. "It doesn't matter how amicable they were moments ago, how can you turn a blind eye?"
"Fawkes seems to like him." I looked at my familiar who was looking rather cheerful for some odd reason.
He let out a noise in confirmation.
"See?" I offered to soothe her anger.
Her eyes narrowed at the Phoenix. "I have not yet started with you."
Fawkes wisely departed with a flash from the room.
And certainly it was a big mark in their favor that Fawkes seemed to adore the young man for some reason. He would not tell me why, but through our Familiar Bond, I could feel that he was happy around him.
"Would it help if I told you that the ones that suffered under this mysterious person's wrath were not the nicest Wizards in our society?"
"Albus, we can't just dictate – "
"Mr. Malfoy, Mr. Goyle, Lord Nott –"
"However, it isn't our duty to assert the law." She quickly changed her tone. "Our Aurors can handle the investigation."
"I completely agree." I smiled.
I would never suggest violence as the immediate answer to any problem, but I will say that it was much easier to reject the vile legislation proposed under the Pureblood faction in the Wizengamot because a good portion of the supporters were sent to the hospital for head injuries the night before voting.
"Albus." Minerva's tone turned quite a bit more serious. "You know what concerns I'm speaking about."
Yes, she only had a passing interest in the supposed brickening that seemed to happen to some of the illustrious members of our society.
Matters outside of the concern of the school usually did not phase her.
"I know, Minerva, I know." I let out a tired sigh, standing up from my chair. It's getting harder and harder to sit for long periods of time now without my back aching. "Not the least of which is how they were able to ignore the School's Wards."
"How is that possible, Albus?" She asked, clearly concerned. "These Wards are probably the best in Europe, maybe even most of the world."
By modern standards, I would agree. It's hard to argue the point, however, when there are ancient tombs discovered in Egypt that are uncrackable even after years of dedicated study and attempts.
But I digress.
"I can honestly say I have no idea." I answered truthfully. Our discussions ended on a rather cheerful note and I personally handed the prepared letter to their young Daughter. I didn't follow, but that doesn't mean I didn't watch. They left from within the wards. Not even I can Apparate from within the Castle, but what they did was clearly not Apparition. I had never seen nor heard of such a method of travel before, and clearly, none of my predecessors had either because not a single Ward triggered to block them on departure.
Oh, the Wards certainly registered something, I could tell that much. But it was merely to say that someone left, rather than stop them.
Not even the House Elves had an idea of what occurred, as I broached the idea that they somehow used a similar method that the House Elves used to pop into places.
It was certainly a concerning line of thought.
But….would it not be more concerning if they hid it for malicious use?
Once more, the enigma of their family name reasserted itself.
What's more, the woman – Yasaka, was able to casually grab hold of a Poltergeist without any of the noticeable signs of Necromancy.
Was that simply the methods of the East that I was familiar with, or did it indicate something else that should further concern me?
I would be true to my word when their Daughter attended but…. I would also keep a certain eye out for anything else that may appear.
Who knew, with the return of Voldemort maybe we might have an unconventional ally if I played my cards right?
"I will reach out to my contacts and ask around." I told her in an attempt to reassure her worry. Granted, I did not believe anything would turn up. Without blowing hot air up my robes, I was one of the foremost experts on spellcraft in the country and I was utterly ignorant, thus my confidence was nonexistent.
"I guess there's nothing left to do but prepare for the coming school year." Minerva let out a sigh of her own. "I will make a small speech concerning our newest student and respecting different cultures during the opening feast."
"That would be best." I nodded, thankful.
It would be very bad if something unsavory happened due to ignorance and an apparent Princess of another Race was…..harmed on our watch.
I am not aware of the power wielded by them, but the way they talked about our Ministry was….irrelevance bordering contempt.
One more thing I will need to reach out to my fellow Headmistress to ascertain. She should surely be able to shed some light on these Youkai and their influence for me.
"Before I go, Albus. Why were you so surprised at the name they mentioned, the witch for teaching Magical Theory/Studies?"
"Ah you don't recognize it?"
"Should I?" Minerva's lips thinned.
"Maybe, maybe not. The name originates from the same era as your own namesake." I walked to the bookshelf, looking for a certain tome. "Here we are." I took it off the shelf and put it on the desk.
"Ancient Tales of Sorcerers?" Minerva read the title. "Albus, I'm not ignorant of the name. when he mentioned her I thought it was something more relevant than old legends."
"Minerva, Colchis hasn't existed for nearly two thousand years."
"….oh." She said softly.
Yes, oh.
@***@
Wilhelm POV
"We're home." I announced after entering the house.
Immediately, several heads turned towards us.
"How was your trip?" Medea sat at the dining room table with her Fiancée. I told her we were on our way home and asked her to meet us here.
"Aunty Medea, look!" Kunou ran up and showed her the letter. "I'm going to a Magic School."
It wasn't just Medea that was curious, Artoria and Rin were both here as well and looked over the Witch's shoulder to see it.
"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry" Medea began to read. "Dear Miss. Schweinorg." She stopped looking at me as were the others.
"What?" I asked. "It's weird for them not to have last names over there. Why can't my Daughter have my last name?" Not that I didn't ask beforehand, I didn't want to assume, but both Yasaka and Kunou were both more than willing for it to happen.
So as far as that place was concerned, she's Kunou Schweinorg.
A funny combination of Japanese and German naming conventions, but who cared.
Yasaka, for some reason, wrapped her tail very tightly around my waist with a big smile on her face.
"Dear Miss Schweinorg, we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizard. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment. Blah Blah, starting date." Medea finished and went to another page enclosed. "Dragon Hide gloves!?" She suddenly exclaimed.
"No idea." I shrugged.
"I'm gonna be a Witch just like you, Aunty!" The little fox grinned.
Medea was conflicted at that statement it seems. She didn't like being called a Witch, but at the same time…
"You sure are." She quickly hugged the little fox as it was obvious which side won over there.
No one can defeat the little fluffy fox.
"Dang, you're really going through with this, huh?" Rin looked at me.
"She seems to like the idea." Yasaka responded.
"I take it the meeting went well." Artoria asked.
"Despite the circumstances." Yasaka sent me a look. "Yes, things went about as well as expected. Only one small hiccup, which is why we wanted to talk to Medea and Kuzuki about something."
"Not just me but hubby too?" Medea looked at us as Kunou climbed into her lap and the Greek Woman was more than happy to rub her head and spoil her.
"If he wants, it's more an opportunity if you're willing." I responded.
"Hmm, consider my interest piqued." She glanced at the stoic man sitting at her side. "What do you think dear?"
"I am interested as well." He said plainly.
"Talking to the Headmaster, there seems to be a few openings at the school for teachers. I didn't want to presume anything, so I merely floated the idea as a possibility, and emphasized I haven't asked your opinions first. If you would be interested, they would have you interview for some teaching positions." I cut right to the chase.
Medea and Kuzuki both blanked for a second. And I can understand, it was a sudden thing I just tossed in their laps.
"Let me get this straight, boyo. You're offering us jobs?" Medea asked.
"Not me, just ran into the opportunities and wanted to inform you of them. And please don't misunderstand, I'm not trying to pressure you into anything nor coerce you. I'll be upfront and say that it would be super helpful to us because we would want someone to watch Kunou from afar in case of anything happening."
Honesty was the main thing with Medea. She would rather you tell her to her face anything bad and be blunt about it rather than try and scheme or make plans around her. If you wanted her for something, just straight tell her and you would have significantly more of a chance than otherwise.
So, I was honest and told her the purpose of us telling them about it, about how it would be beneficial to us in the long run.
"What position?" Kuzuki asked, still keeping a straight and expressionless face.
"Muggles Studies which translates to Mundane History and basically covers their non-magical counterparts. The Magical Culture there is very insular, and they're ignorant about a lot of modern conveniences while keeping to an era several decades behind." I briefly explained.
"Books?"
"I have plenty if you're interested." I nodded as he was mostly wanting an idea of what he was supposed to teach from the source material.
He nodded as well, but without confirming yes or no.
It was right in his wheelhouse, mostly. He was a History teacher, so it's not something foreign to him.
"What about me?" Medea asked.
"Magical Theory." I answered, not needing to go into detail.
"And you know I'm unfamiliar with their Magic, right?"
"I have enough books and you'll be a master in a week." I rolled my eyes.
"True." She said smugly. "That's a big thing to suddenly throw into our laps."
"I know, but we literally just found out too and the idea was worth bringing up. You mentioned a place you wanted to live previously; this ticks all of your boxes."
"And I would like to say that this isn't contingent on you becoming Kunou's guardians while she's living over there." Yasaka chimed in. "We have a backup plan and while we would be thrilled with your help, this is also an opportunity for you both. A place you can build a true home and live if you desire."
Medea and her fiancé shared a similar look with one another.
"How long do we have to think it over?" She asked.
"We're going back in a few days to shop for Kunou's school supplies, and that's when we told the headmaster either he'll receive you both for an interview or we'll send a letter with a rejection." I replied.
"We will discuss it. However, we will require the material to form an answer." Kuzuki answered for them both.
"No problem, Jinn already sorted the stuff in the library, you can go there whenever you want or ask her for help." Which covered everything they'd probably want to know. And I would also answer any questions they had, but they were probably a bit overwhelmed at this moment and suddenly going in depth on the details might not go over so well.
Best to give them a little bit to settle down before delving deeper.
I perked up suddenly, because someone was approaching.
A knock on the door indicating I was correct, which was odd because I don't think we've ever had a stranger knock on the door ever since setting up the house.
The Bounded Fields actively dissuaded people from approaching.
I got up and went to open it because the presence felt familiar.
"Odin." I greeted with a bit of surprise at him being here.
"Heya Brat." He walked right past me and through the threshold without any offering of him to come in.
If I didn't already know his whole attitude, I may have taken offense.
And he wasn't alone.
A woman in a suit was apologetically standing outside still.
I gestured for her to come in and she looked very thankful.
"Hope, I'm not interrupting anything." He said, looking at all the faces in the room.
"You were." I answered.
"Well, that sucks." He didn't seem to care all too much. "Anyways, how you doing kiddos?" He inspected the place. "Nice home, lots of defenses, not bad. Might have been able to stall me for a couple moments. Anyways…." He stopped, looking at Kazuki of all people. He tilted his head in contemplation, and sort of moved his whole body to follow suit. "Hey, you ever consider being a viking?"
The stoic Japanese man merely raised an eyebrow in surprise but otherwise, barely reacted to the All-Father's sudden question.
"Hmm." He rubbed his beard. "It's rare to see a warrior like this out of nowhere. I don't sense any Magic, nor any Touki or anything on you. What's your game?"
"I apologize, I am merely a teacher." He responded bluntly.
"Yeah, and I'm merely a handsome and charming grandpa." He snorted. "Anyways, that's not why I'm here. But introductions for you kiddos, I'm Odin, All-Father, blah blah. Since you're the brat's people, you probably know everything already so I won't explain more."
"Thank you for that wonderful introduction, Odin." I said dryly.
"I need to call in that favor, brat." He clapped his hands. "Oh right, my babysitter." He pointed at the silent woman who looked like she wanted to hide in a corner. "Introduce yourself." He said almost dismissively.
"I-I'm Rossweisse, Lord Odin's Valkyrie." She awkwardly stated.
Well, may as well go around the room.
"Wilhelm Henry Schweinorg." I tried to smile politely because it must be super difficult being under Odin, I didn't want to make it harder for her.
"Hello dear, I'm Yasaka." Yasaka picked up on it too.
"R-Rin." Our resident Magus suddenly blurted out next. "I mean, I'm Rin." She corrected. "Rin Tohsaka. It's nice to meet you."
"O-oh, it's nice to meet you too." The Valkyrie smiled.
….was Rin blushing?
[***]
A/N
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